Historical Society celebrates 'Berwyn Our Home' in new exhibit

BERWYN – After years of renovations, the Berwyn Historical Society is opening its new location at 1401 Grove Ave. to the public with “Berwyn Our Home,” an exhibit that showcases Berwyn artifacts dating back to the early 1900s.

The exhibit features items from various aspects of the city, including home life, education, religion, government and even Houby Fest.

[Photo provided by Berwyn Historical Society]

[The Berwyn Home Guard helps to defend Berwyn from 1917 to 1918 during World War I. Capt. Robert Teeter is on the right.]

David Olson, president of the board of the Berwyn Historical Society, said it’s important for residents to see the relics from the city’s history and see how well people lived in the past.

“It’s good for young people to see that people back then had nice things and beautiful, well-made buildings that had detail and ornamentation that has been lost,” he said. “It’s good to see that people cared about details and good craftsmanship in construction and handiwork.”

Some of the artifacts on display include a handmade wedding gown and a baptism gown from the early 1900s, street signs that were embedded in the curbs, fragments of historic buildings like the Blumenthal Building and Parthenon Theatre, a milk crate from Berwyn Dairy, a letter from President George H.W. Bush congratulating the First United Methodist Church of Berwyn on its 100th anniversary, and a program from the dedication of Berwyn City Hall in 1940. There are also pieces that honor Berwyn’s diverse cultural history, from its earlier Eastern European heritage to recent Latino population.

[Photo provided by Berwyn Historical Society]

[This Berwyn postcard, possibly from the 1950s, shows various scenes from town including the post office (from left), City Hall, Morton West High School, MacNeal Hospital, Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church and St. Mary of Celle Catholic Church.]

Lisa Wahnefried, secretary of the board of the Berwyn Historical Society, said all of the 70 items on display were carefully chosen by the board.

“There was a lot of debate to find the best pieces. We carefully looked through our collection to find things that represent ‘home’ and the different aspects of home life, as well as the greater Berwyn community,” she said.

Wahnefried said the theme of the exhibit was selected because it also celebrates the historical society’s new home at the Grove Avenue location.

“We finally got a point where we could open. We’ve had it a while, but it needed a lot of rehab,” she said. “We always encourage people to connect with the past. Our history goes deeper than people may think, and it’s amazing that just seeing objects from our community’s past will bring them back to their own history.”

[Photo provided by Berwyn Historical Society]

[The Berwyn Theater, formerly the Parthenon, is shown here just before its demolition in April 1985.]

The Berwyn Historical Society is open from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays through January, and Olson said they may continue the exhibit hours indefinitely.

The historical society is always accepting historical artifacts, relics and information from Berwyn residents. Olson said it’s important to keep learning from the city’s past.

“We encourage people to share what they know about Berwyn’s history,” Olson said. “We can see what has brought us to where we are today. We want people to discover interesting stories and events of earlier Berwyn. In one sense, it is curiosity, in another sense, we realize the issues we face today are similar to the issues people faced years ago.”

[Photo provided by Berwyn Historical Society]

[First Methodist Church of Berwyn at 34th Street and Grove Avenue is now the Christian Life Center.]